A family outing

So this post is a little out of order, but the weekend before Keyan went back to the hospital, we took the kids to see "Disney on Ice". We had such a good time. As you can see, the kids dressed in their Disney finest and were very excited. Although, when I first told the girls that I had bought tickets and we were going, Sidney and McKenzy both started crying. When I asked them why they were upset, McKenzy said, "but I don't like ice skating!" and Sidney very seriously said, "I am no good at ice skating." So, after I quickly explained that we would just be watching a show, everyone was ready to go! We made it to Grand Rapids, thru the parking garage, walked up the block to the arena, and made it to our seats without losing anybody!!! I was feeling very happy. Jamahl and I went and got snacks for everyone and the show began. The theme of the show was "100 years of Magic" so we saw just about all of the more popular Disney characters and the music and skating were wonderful. At one point, all of the princesses were on the ice, there was Ariel, Cinderella, Snow White, Pocahontas, and Jasmine.....but Aurora!! Aurora is Mckenzy's favorite and it did not take her long to realize that her princess was missing. Just as she was about to melt down crying, Jamahl just said matter of factly that Aurora must have been sick, maybe she had the flu! Abby told her that Aurora must have stayed in Disney World, and Sidney just shrugged her shoulders, and said that Aurora must not be able to skate! McKenzy thought about all of the wisdom of her siblings and said, "OK, maybe next time!" Thank goodness for the intuition of kids! When I was buying the tickets, I was very concerned that Keyan would not be able to see. I was unable to get seats right up front so I knew that we were just going to have to deal with what we could get. We were about 20 rows form the floor, the arena was dark, the spotlights were on the ice and all over in the seats, kids had light-up, spinning things....needless to say, it was a lot for her to take in. As the show started, I noticed that she was curled into the back of her seat, and I thought that she was crying. I picked her up to comfort her and saw that she was grinning ear to ear. She couldn't really see the characters on the ice and the rest of the atmosphere was overwhelming, so she shut her eyes, and enjoyed the show totally with her ears. She clapped her little heart out and sang along with most of the songs. Her smile never left her face. It was amazing!She knew just how to adapt n order to enjoy it the most. It made me realize that I could do all the worry in the world, but she knows how to deal with some of her limitations. It was amazing to watch her overcome her"difference" and still totally get as much as any of us out of the experience. She is such a cool little girl! Needless to say, we had a wonderful time spending time together as a family.

Home again...with another tube!

Our poor Keyan has had such a hard winter. Many of you know that she has been in and out of the hospital since the middle of December, basically spending just about half of the winter in the hospital. She was admitted last week for a severe kidney infection as well as an infection in her lungs. After spending 8 days there, it was determined that she needed a total of 14 days worth of IV antibiotics. So, in order for her to come home the doctors inserted a PICC line which is basically a long IV that is inserted in her arm and threaded thru her chest, into the opening of her heart. This fancy tube lets us give the medicine at home, so she did not have to stay inpatient the entire time. The PICC line will stay in until the end of next week and than our nurses will be able to pull it out!!! We are very excited to have her home, but there is a large concern about her getting another infection in the line. Please pray that this does not happen!!! Here she is showing off her latest "badge of courage".

Keyan was so very happy to be at home and she just keeps playing and playing. Tonight after dinner she decided to have ice cream for dessert. She loved every bit of it, although most of it made it all over her face rather than her tummy! Thanks for the prayers and please keep them coming.

The Hogan Infirmary

We have missed so much this past week....Abagayle's coming home day, the anniversary of Keyan getting her trach, the girls' actual due date, and I am sure several other things but EVERYONE has been sick! For an entire week, our living room has been sick central. The poor babes have no energy. I have never seen anything like it. They don't play at all, they just sleep and occasionally watch a movie. Keyan was in the hospital for three days and actually probably brought her home a little sooner than we should have but with the help of our great nurses, we have been able to keep her home so far. The girls have worn nothing but pajamas but an entire week! Everyone is finally rounding the bend, and we hope to catch up on Abby's day later this week. It is so hard to have sick kids!!!!

72 Valentines and counting...

Ok, Valentines Day used to be my favorite holiday...but it is no longer. As a matter of fact, I do believe it has become my least liked holiday. Why, well because I just completed filling out 72 valentines cards for the girls to take to school. They in turn brought at least 72 cards home with them also. Oh, and can I just say that I would kill for the time to make beautiful heart shaped treats for the entire class. The girls received so many cute things...I felt horrible with their store bought Wall-e, Mickey Mouse, Princesses, and Spiderman cards. As if I need more mommy guilt! Never fear though, Jamahl and I did make homemade paper airplanes for him to take to school tomorrow. For some reason last year I decided to do home made dinosaur ones with him and so he was not about to just buy the ones from the store. What was I thinking????? I guess after finishing with Jamahl's class I am up to 96! At least Jamahl could write the names on them by himself! Happy Valentine's Day! We love you all.

It is Sidney's Day!

Time is a thing that I do not have enough of!!! Life has been crazy but we did manage to celebrate Sidney's coming home day today. She got to have a frosted cookie after breakfast, which although the frosting was pink, and she much prefers red, she decided she would eat it anyhow! We ran a hundred errands this afternoon which I normally do not attempt to do on my own with the girls but things actually went fairly well. Could we really be making advancements on this front?
Four years ago, Sidney left the NICU after a bumpy 80 day stay. She had numerous infections that made her swell up really big and she had some eye problems. She came home four days after McKenzy and they were so happy to be together (that is them in the swing above). The last year has been full of changes for Sidney. She is growing up so quick. In November, she got Spiderman red glasses and that seems to really help her out. She looks so cute in them and will often comment on how she can see better.

We had spaghetti for dinner tonight and that is Sidney's favorite! She also loves to wear costumes! When I looked back over the pictures that I had taken of the day I think I counted four different costumes!

She choose Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream for her treat. Too bad Poppie is in Mexico, he is her ice cream buddy! Auntie Roo and Uncle Jay came down for dinner and helped celebrate Sidney's day. Sidney is a sweet girl that has a very stubborn side to her! She is always ready to lend a hand in the kitchen and loves to just hang out by Mommy and Daddy. She idolizes Jamahl and Spiderman and is always looking to impress her big brother. Sidney, you are one determined little girl and that will make people pay attention! I know someday you are actually going to fly, so keep up the trying! Your role as the observer is a very important one and your seriousness will serve you well. Your sweet little smile always lights up my heart and your twisty kisses are great. Always keep your individual spirit...you never know where it may lead. We love you and are so proud of you.

"Be at Peace, Molly"

When is rains, it pour around here! Molly has been sick for a while and it suddenly was getting a lot worse. I won't go into the details but a year ago she had a cancerous tumor removed and we believe that the cancer finally was taking it's toll on her body. Tonight, Paul and I took her to the vet to be put to sleep. We had prepared the kids as best we knew how. The girls were on to wondering what the next pet would be but Jamahl had alot of questions. Right before we took her, Jamahl asked why we couldn't do a transplant with another dog so that Molly could keep living. We are always amazed at how his mind works! Miraculously, when we arrived at the vet, a friend of ours who works there was there to help us through it. She was so great. She knew just the right words to say and made the ordeal as good as she could. Thanks Sharron! It feels like we have lived 10 days in this one. The house feels strangely quiet, even with the noise of the kids. Molly was a great pet that certainly could be a pain sometimes but she fit just right into this crazy home and we will all miss her.

Feb. 1st ALREADY????

This picture completly sums up McKenzy. She loves a party and lives life to the fullest. Of course, it is nopt uncommon to see her withour clothes on either but that is a whole other story! Today we celebrated McKenzy's coming home day!

I can't believe that another year has come and gone and it is time to celebrate the girl's coming home days. Four years ago today we brought McKenzy home from the NICU. We were so thrilled to finally be bringing a baby home. It felt so good to have her in familiar territory. I don't think that I will ever forget the long walk thru the hallways of the hospital and the LONG ride home. It was a long time coming and it felt so good to carry a baby out of the hospital.

February 1st was also the first time that all four girls were able to be by each other. McKenzy, Sidney, and Abagayle had been next to each other but they were never able to get close to Keyan until the day that McKenzy came home. We were so thrilled to have them close together again and you could tell they were happy to be smooshed all together like they were in utero. It took such coordination and a lot of hands to get them all next to each.....but it was so worth it!

Seeing that Mommy and Keyan just returned yesterday from the hospital after being there for 11 days, this morning we just lounged around in our jammies, which McKenzy LOVES. However, when I suggested that we get dressed and go out for Chinese, she was very excited. Of all the kids, she likes to eat out the most. Chinese does not really thrill her but they do have french fries which is her all time favorite food. She also likes the hot tea and the cookies with the tags!!! Later tonight we all had special cookies to celebrate her day and we talked about the fact that when they were born they had to stay in the hospital for a long time and that is why we celebrate the day they finally came home. I think this is the first year that they "kinda" are starting to get it.

McKenzy, you are a beautiful little girl, who although you sometimes act like you came from outer space, you are showing us exactly how smart you are with your memory. You forget NOTHING!!!! You have made great strides in your talking over the last year and you love to learn letters and what words start with. You had surgery for your ears, we discovered that you have some chronic lung disease so you have to do breathing treatments every day (which goes oh so well), and we are getting your insomnia under control. It has been a busy year for you!!! While you can be feisty, you are always the first one to notice when an opportunity to snuggle arises and you always grab it. Your hugs are the best and your kisses are even better. You definitely make your own path in life but it will be sure to be a path of joy and laughter. We love you so much and look forward to all the exciting things you will do!